--- title: "A Tooth Got Knocked Out: What to Do in the First Hour" source: https://celestialdental.org/knocked-out-tooth-what-to-do publisher: Celestial Dental Centre (https://celestialdental.org) author: Celestial Dental Centre clinical team date_published: 2026-08-10 date_modified: 2026-08-10 topic: Oral Surgery language: en --- # A Tooth Got Knocked Out: What to Do in the First Hour A tooth that has been completely knocked out of its socket is one of the few true dental emergencies where the clock genuinely matters. An adult tooth stands the best chance of being saved if it is put back within the hour, and ideally within the first few minutes. What you do in those first minutes often decides whether the tooth survives, so it is worth knowing the steps before you ever need them. ## Can a knocked-out tooth really be put back? Yes, an adult tooth that has come out whole can often be re-implanted and can go on to heal in place. Success depends mostly on two things: how quickly it goes back in, and how well the delicate cells on the root are kept alive in the meantime. The longer the tooth is dry and out of the mouth, the lower the chance it takes hold again. This is why the response has to be quick and calm rather than perfect. Baby teeth are the exception. A knocked-out baby tooth is **not** put back, because doing so can damage the developing adult tooth underneath. If a child knocks out a baby tooth, do not try to re-insert it. See a dentist to check that the whole tooth came out and nothing was left behind, and to check the surrounding teeth. ## What to do in the first minutes 1. **Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown**, the white chewing part. Never touch the root, the part that was in the gum. 2. **If it is dirty, rinse it gently** for a second or two in milk, or in clean water if that is all you have. Do not scrub it, do not use soap, and do not wrap it in tissue or cloth, which strips the living cells off the root. 3. **Try to put it straight back into the socket**, the right way round, and hold it gently in place by biting on a clean cloth. A tooth put back into its own socket quickly has by far the best outlook. 4. **If you cannot put it back, keep it moist in the best liquid to hand.** Cold milk is ideal. Holding it inside the cheek, between the teeth and the gum, also works for an adult who is fully alert. Plain water is a last resort, as it damages the root cells faster than milk does. Never let the tooth dry out. 5. **Go to a dentist immediately.** Treat it as an emergency and call ahead so the clinic is ready for you. The single most useful fact to remember is this: for an adult tooth, back in the socket beats milk, and milk beats water, and anything moist beats letting it dry out. ## What you should never do - Do not hold or scrub the root. - Do not let the tooth dry out on a table or in a tissue while you find a lift. - Do not put it in ordinary water for a long trip if milk is available. - Do not delay to clean it perfectly. Speed matters more than a spotless tooth. - Do not try to re-insert a child's baby tooth. ## What if only part of the tooth broke off, or it is loose but still in? Not every injury is a full knock-out. A tooth can be chipped, cracked, pushed out of line, or loosened while still attached. Keep any broken fragment in milk and bring it, gently rinse your mouth, use a cold compress on the cheek for swelling, and see a dentist promptly. A tooth that has been shoved loose or out of position often needs to be repositioned and splinted, and the sooner that happens the better. Options for repairing a chipped or broken tooth are covered in our article at celestialdental.org/chipped-broken-tooth-repair-options. ## What will the dentist do? If the tooth has been re-implanted, the dentist will check its position, take an X-ray, and usually splint it to the neighbouring teeth for a period to hold it steady while the socket heals. You will likely need follow-up visits, and sometimes a root canal on that tooth later, because the nerve often does not survive the injury even when the tooth itself does. If the tooth could not be saved or was too damaged, the dentist will talk you through replacing it, and the routes for that are set out at celestialdental.org/missing-tooth-implant-bridge-denture-or-crown. Either way, the healing steps after any socket trauma are similar to those at celestialdental.org/tooth-extraction-aftercare-how-to-heal-fast. ## When it is more than a tooth A blow hard enough to knock out a tooth can also injure the jaw, the lips and the head. Seek urgent medical care, not just dental care, if there was loss of consciousness, persistent bleeding that will not stop, a possible broken jaw, or a deep facial wound. Deal with the head injury first and the tooth second. ## Does insurance or SHA cover emergency dental care? Emergency dental treatment is commonly included in dental benefits, but cover depends on your insurer, your scheme and your member category. Celestial Dental accepts SHA for eligible schemes and bills more than 20 private insurers directly, including Jubilee, AAR, Madison, CIC, Britam, APA and Equity Bank Insurance. In a genuine emergency, come in first and sort the paperwork alongside treatment. Send us your insurer or SHA scheme name, member category and preferred branch and the team will confirm eligibility. ## Get emergency dental help A knocked-out or badly injured tooth needs to be seen straight away. Celestial Dental Centre has clinics in **Kasarani (Nairobi)**, **Kamakis (Ruiru)** and **Eldoret**, open every day from 07:00 to 20:00, so you can often be seen the same day. Call or WhatsApp **+254 707 535 000** on your way in so we can prepare for you, and bring the tooth in milk if it is not already back in the socket. Keep it moist, move fast, and do not give up on the tooth before a dentist has seen it. --- **How to cite:** Celestial Dental Centre. "A Tooth Got Knocked Out: What to Do in the First Hour." Celestial Dental Centre Blog, 2026-08-10. https://celestialdental.org/knocked-out-tooth-what-to-do **About the publisher:** Celestial Dental Centre is a dental clinic group in Kenya with branches in Kasarani (Nairobi), Kamakis (Ruiru), and Eldoret, open daily 07:00–20:00. Bookings: https://celestialdental.org/?book=1 · Phone/WhatsApp: +254 707 535 000. All articles: https://celestialdental.org/blog.md